Golf tee



March 18, 1952 J TT 2,589,763

GOLF TEE Filed Sept. 50, 1948 JNVENTOR. .JoH/v EBHRRETT,

Patented Mar. 18, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE f GOLF TEE John F. Barrett, Indianapolis, Ind. Application September so, 1948, Serial No. 51,871

2 Claims.

This invention relates to a golf tee comprising a combination of top and bottom parts which may be used separately or together, to provide different tee elevations.

Different conditions in golfing make it desirable to tee the ball at different elevations. Such different conditions arise, for example, from differences in the length of the holes, or from diiferingconditions of the terrain, such as are taken into consideration in fixing par for the several holes. Thus, a par-three hole may present conditions in which it is desirable to tee the ball at a relatively low elevation, where a par-five hole may present conditions which make it desirable to tee the ball at a relatively high elevation.

While some differences in tee elevation may be obtained by varying the depth to which an ordi nary tee is driven into the ground, this is unsatisfactory, for a number of reasons. For example, a deep-set tee offers a marked obstruction to the head of the club, and the low elevation is frequently desired in the very conditions where the least obstruction to follow-through of the club is most desirable.

It is the object of this invention to provide an improved golf-tee combination which closely resembles the regular common type of tee and has all the advantages thereof, but which also embodies in the same unit separable parts which may be used separately to provide different tee elevations.

In accordance with my invention, the tee is made in two parts. The bottom part may have an outer configuration closely resembling the generally conical form of the conventional tee, and desirably has a concave top surface adapted to support a golf ball. The bottom member is provided with a central opening to receive the spike of the top member. The top member comprises a head, desirably disk-shaped, with a concave top surface and with a spike projecting downward from its bottom. The spike is adapted both to be received in the central opening of the bottom member, and to be pushed into the ground to support the top member separately as a low-elevation tee.

The accompanying drawings illustrate the invention. In the drawings, Fig. 1 is an elevation of a preferred form of my two-part tee; Fig. 2 is an elevation of the bottom member thereof; Fig. 3 is an elevation of the top member thereof; and Fig. 4 is a top plan View of the tee shown in Fig. 1; Fig. 5 is an elevation of a modified form of tee; and Figs. 6 and 7 are elevations of the bottom and top parts respectively of the tee of Fig. 5.

In the preferred modification shown in Figs. 1 to 4, the bottom member l0 of the tee combination has generally the same shape as the corresponding portion of a conventional tee, with a bottom tapered point I I and a body whose outer surface is a surface of revolution about the tee axis of an are drawn on a long radius from a center opposite the base of the tapered point II. The upper face l3 of the bottom member is concave, conveniently in the form of a conical depression. The top of the bottom part is thus of a configuration and size to support a, golf ball thereon. There is a central tapered hole I4 in y the body of the bottom member I0 and opening conical depression. A spike l5 projects downward from the head I1, and. is adapted to be re ceived within the central tapered hole M, where it may make releasable frictional engagement with the walls thereof. The spike I5 is relatively thin and is pointed. As shown in Fig. 3, the

spike may have a lower tapered point and an upper section I9 which is cylindrical.

The bottom annular face 20 of the head I! desirably is shaped to engage the top face l3 of the bottom member. It may be fiat, but desirably is convex to mate with the concave face 13 of the bottom member. The engagement between the bottom 20 of the top part and the top [3 of the bottom member serves to provide supplemental support against bending stresses on the spike I5, and to limit engagement of the spike [5 in the hole I4, so that frictional engagement therebetween may be controlled to permit ready separation of the two parts.

In the modification shown in Figs. 5 to 7 inclusive, the bottom member [0 is substantially identical with that of Fig. 1, save that its top face 23 is flat instead of concave as in the first modification. correspondingly, the top member I! is substantially identical with the top member of the first modification save that its bottom surface 30 is flat instead of convex. As in the first modification, the outer lower edge of the top member is substantially contiguous with the top face of the associated bottom member.

The two parts of my improved golf tee may be made of any suitable material, conveniently of a moldable synthetic plastic.

The invention provides a golf tee which may be used to provide different tee elevations. By using the two parts together, the device substantially corresponds to the conventional tee. When it is desired to have an extremely low elevation, as for an iron shot on a short hole, the top part alone may be used. Its central spike is readily pushed into the ground its full depth, and adequately positions the short head with relatively less ground engagement than occurs with the ordinary tee, so that the tee thus provided offers even less obstruction to follow-through than does the ordinary tee used in its conventional way. For a somewhat higher tee elevation, the bottom member may be used alone, and provides a tee which corresponds closely to the ordinary tee.

I claim as my invention:

1. A golf tee combination, comprising interfitting separable top and bottom parts constituting a complete tee when interfitted in combination, said top constituting a tee of substantially lower height than said combination and of substan- 'tially lower height than said bottom part, said bottom part being of substantially conical form,

generally V-shaped in vertical section, and having an outer surface continuously tapered from its, top face downwardly, and having a point at its extreme bottom, said top part being generally T-shaped in vertical section, with a disk-shaped head of short. height and of a diameter approximating that of the upper end of said bottom part, said head having a recess at the top in which a golf ball may rest, and said top part having a central narrow spike projecting downwardly from the disk-shaped head, said bottom part being provided with an upwardly open central hole to receive said spike, said disk-shaped head having an annular bottom face surrounding said spike and having the edges thereof lying substantially contiguous with the top of said bottom part when the two parts are assembled to limit engagement of said top part with the walls of said hole inrsaid bottom part to a separable frictional engagement, said top part when used separately serving to provide a tee, shorter than said bottom part, and

"said interfitted combination of said top and bottom parts servingto provide a combination tee of greater height than said top part.

2. A golf tee combination, comprising interfitting separable top and bottom parts each eonstituting a complete tee when separated, and when interfitted in combination constituting a tee of substantially greater height than each of said top and bottom parts, said bottom part being of substantially conical form, generally V- shaped in vertical section, having a golf ball receiving recess at the top and having an outer surface continuously tapered from its top face downwardly, and terminating at the extreme bottom in a more sharply tapered short point, said top part being generally T-shaped in vertical section, with a disk-shaped head of short height and of a diameter approximating that of the upper end of said bottom part, said head having a recess at the top in which a golf ball may rest, and said top part having a central narrow s ike projecting downwardly from the disk-shaped head, said bottom part being provided with an upwardly open central hole to receive said spike, said diskshaped head having an annular bottom face surrounding said spike and having the edges thereof lying substantially contiguous with the top of said bottom part when the two parts are assembled to limit engagement of said top part with the walls of said hole in said bottom part to a separable frictional engagement, said disk-shaped head of said top part, when resting on thetop of said bottom part, serving to increase substantially the height at which the ball is carried over the height provided by said bottom tee part when the latter is used separately.

JOHN F. BARRETT.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

